COMMUNITY/WOD

Each month we will feature an “Athlete of the Month”. This is a member who has stuck out to us one way or another (not an easy task with all of the amazing athletes we have.) Attendance, gains, community engagement, and overall awesomeness will be considered by our team when choosing the athlete for this award each month. Once selected the chosen athlete will be asked to answer a few questions and share their CrossFit story so that everyone can get to know them a bit better. Make sure to “Follow” these featured athletes for motivation and inspiration.

Congratulations to Allen Rosario for being the first official Athlete of the Month for 2017! Allen joined CrossFit Giant in September 2014 and has been really getting after it ever since. You will usually find him at either the 9:30 AM or 6:30 PM class giving it his all. It has been awesome to watch his progress and drastic change in his weight loss. He gets in on a regular basis, drops into the box to work on other skills constantly on his own and his hard work is truly showing in his performance. We also appreciate Allen for his amazing constant community engagement and would like to thank him for being a part of The CrossFit Giant family!

Alan Rosario

Tell us a little about you and the family-

As you know, I am married and my wife Isabel is also a part of the CrossFit Giant Community in Edgewater. We live in North Bergen NJ. I have a 22 year old son who is currently in college. He lives in Brooklyn NY.

Occupation- I run a Privately Owned Government Contracting Company. My wife and I also own and operate a snack food manufacturing and distribution business.

How has CrossFit Formidable changed your life- I started CrossFit at age of 41 and at that time, I thought my best physical and athletic years were behind me. However, since buying into the CrossfFit lifestyle,it feels as though I have extended my prime physical years. Healthy eating, rigorous interval training and the power of positive thought will do wonders for a person at any age. Today at 43, I feel better than I did at 33.

Training goals- To continue the CrossFit lifestyle into an advanced age.

Favorite movement- Squat Clean

Least favorite movement- Pistol Squats

Favorite Benchmark Workout- Deadlift, Bench Press, Back Squat

Your advice for someone trying to lose weight? Exercising alone will not achieve desired results. Proper eating habits is the catalyst for weight loss. Personally, I adhere to a combination of a Paleo diet, Keto diet, and Intermittent Fasting. You have to explore what works for you. A general rule of thumb is that you must burn more calories than you consume in order to see weight loss. Finding you BMR is a good starting point. You can figure out what your goals are from there.

Your advice for someone considering starting CrossFit- CrossFit is a lifestyle. The synergy between the WODS, proper eating habits and engaging in the community can help you attain your goals. Forget about a 30 day transformation. Strive for a lifelong transformation, which is a bigger reward. Some new CrossFitters give up too quickly or aren't willing to commit to the lifestyle. When I started to do CrossFit, I was still the local beer guzzling champ in my old neighborhood. Since the day I decided to commit to a healthier lifestyle, I had to give up that throne. To this day, I have no regrets. I feel that I am the better version of myself with the help of the CrossFit lifestyle.

– Use those “pace” times from Friday, and move each split up 10 seconds. Know that you can make those splits and it will knock around 1 minute off of your time. Submit that score before 5pm (pacific time)!

WORKOUT OF THE DAY

COMPETITOR WOD

NOTE: The open begins next week. Continue to keep the volume low and focus on putting 100% effort into each day's training to prepare for the upcoming 5 weeks of Open testing.

Bench Press3-3-3-3-3– Warm up to a heavy triple and hold that weight across 5 working sets. Compare to 1/3/2017 and try to go heavier.

PART 2:

Do Beyond Rx’d programming for the day.

Rest 20 minutes

Rowing IntervalsRow 1:40 – rest :20 x9

– This is a pre-programmed workout on the rower. Go to “select workout” and click on v1:40/r:20. Each interval will be 1:40 of work with a :20 second rest. There is a 2 minute break after the 5th interval. Goal is to get 450m for men and 400m for women on each interval.

COMPETITOR WOD

NOTE: The open begins in 2 weeks. We are quickly approaching the time to test all of the training and hard work we have been putting in. Volume will begin to decrease to accommodate for the upcoming 5 weeks of Open testing.

COMPETITOR WOD

NOTE: The open begins in 2 weeks. We are quickly approaching the time to test all of the training and hard work we have been putting in. Volume will begin to decrease to accommodate for the upcoming 5 weeks of Open testing.

Do Beyond Rx’d programming for the day.– Hit this workout with everything you’ve got. Practice pacing the beginning and then emptying the tank in the final stages of the workout. Save nothing, as very soon it will no longer be practice, but game time!

For time:30 Burpee bar muscle ups

– Goal is under 5 minutes. Stay consistent and if the reps begin to get sloppy (excessive chicken wing!) call it done. Stay healthy and smart with our training.

FITNESS

COMPETITOR WOD

– A great test of general body weight conditioning. Simple, classic, and effective. If you struggle here with the engine needed to get well over 20 rounds, it will be a great indicator of what needs to be focused on a bit more leading up to the Open.

First, we prepare for the Open, and then towards the end of the month, we compete in the Open! The Open is first and foremost about community and coming together to celebrate CrossFit as a sport, but what is truly special about the Open is that anyone and everyone can get involved.

We studied the previous 6 years of Open workouts to identify common types of movements, rep schemes, and themes (like toes to bar, high-rep double unders and strength components). And then we built a program with: a few Open workouts from previous years, more AMRAP style workouts, lighter loads, and more skill work (muscle ups, chest to bar pull-ups, HSPU, etc.) than usual.

The resulting program will help people find their confidence and give people more time to practice movements and skills they’re likely to see in Open workouts.

All Open workouts will be released on Thursdays. Then we will program each workout for the following Friday. (We’ll add each workout to our calendar as soon they are posted.) Here are the release dates:17.1: Feb. 23 – 2717.2: March 2 – 617.3: March 9 – 1317.4: March 16 – 2017.5: March 23 – 27

Please make sure you spend extra time on body maintenance (rolling out, stretching, recovery methods, hand care) this month, as these types of workouts, in addition to the overhead gymnastics work, will place a higher demand on your body than a regular month. There will be more intensity plus the additional energy output that a competition environment creates, so short story shorter: This month will call for extra care and recovery.

COMPETITOR WOD

– Build across working sets up to a heavy single for the day. Feet splaying out too wide constitutes no rep. As usual, clean and precise footwork is mandatory. Compare to 1/4 and try to go heavier.

PART 2:

Do Beyond Rx’d programming for the day.

Rest 20 minutes

For time:50-40-30-20-10KB swing (70/53)GHD sit up

– Goal is to finish between 12-15 minutes. That means hanging onto that KB for big sets! If you have not been regularly doing GHD sit ups then cut each set in half for that movement and try to finish under 10 minutes.